Rotterdam mayor says cannabis pass creates problems

Rotterdam mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb on Tuesday said the cannabis club membership card does not work and will never work.

Speaking to tv programme EenVandaag, the mayor said the cannabis pass just causes more nuisance. He thinks there will be more street dealing of soft drugs once it is introduced throughout the Netherlands on January 1.

Aboutaleb did not say if he would refuse to introduce the membership scheme in Rotterdam.

The pass was introduced in cannabis cafes in the south of the country on May 1 this year. Making them membership-only was a way of keeping out foreigners.

MaastrichtIn September, Maastricht mayor Onno Hoes said so few locals had registered that changes need to be made to the way the membership system works. Locals are reluctant to register, so ID and an official council certificate stating where they live should be sufficient to buy marijuana.

Hoes said in a letter to councillors he hoped the move will reduce the number of street dealers who have appeared since the ban was introduced, the Nos reported at the time.

WisdomIn Amsterdam there is also doubt about the wisdom of the pass, with mayor Eberhard van der Laan saying he is against having it in his city.

Junior justice minister Fred Teeven told local tv station AT5 earlier this month the introduction of the pass in the capital would take place in consultation with the city council.

Coffee shop owners in Amsterdam hope this signals a change in the government’s position.

Scrap the passIn the southern provinces, local Liberal VVD members are asking party leader Mark Rutte to scrap the national introduction of the pass during his talks with the Labour party on the formation of a new cabinet. Aboutaleb has now joined their ranks.

Should the pass be scrapped? Have your say in the comment box at Dutch News.